Good to be back and to see some decent weather again here in Scotland.

Fascinating place, Poland. We were in a restaurant and they arrived and offered champagne with a slice of strawberry ‘to join us in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the end of Communist rule.’ The Solidarity flags were flying in the main Square. I liked the idea that it was all so low key – and the mind goes back to Lech Walesa and his negotiating committee which numbered some hundreds. And none of the simplistic bluster of B*** who said, ‘They don’t love freedom the way we love freedom’

I also took a look at the residence of the Archbishop of Krakow – the local Blogstead as it were. He swept past me in his Passat – a bit shinier than mine. We don’t have a full-size portrait of JPII over the archway either.

But back to Auschwitz for a moment. I mentioned it en passant on Sunday morning and found myself talking to somebody who had lost seven members of his family there. I’ll always think of the single sprig of spring flower on just one of the hundreds of photos of prisoners taken when they arrived – date of arrival and date of death – seldom more than six months and mostly much less. And the flowers on the railway track at Birkenau. Tiny and inadequate gestures seem like the only possible response – flickerings of grace

We’re having a couple of days in Krakow – dull, overcast and wet.  That’s what you expect in Poland in June?  They’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the end of Communist rule today.  That makes me feel old.

Auschwitz is one of those things which one simply has to do.  Thousands of people were being well managed and we had an excellent guide.  She was well-informed and passionate about what she was showing us.  Just occasionally I wondered about the roots of her strong feelings – and what it must do to you to tell this story every day of your working life.  She showed us the house where the Commandant lived with his family – as in ‘The Boy with the Striped Pyjamas’ – and allowed herself to wonder if his children playing around their swimming pool so close could smell the camp and the crematoria.  And she told us with a certain satisfaction that he had been hanged from that gallows just there.

It’s the kind of experience which needs a bit of time to think about.  But there is a sort of dilemma in it.  One goes and looks at the unimaginable horrors of it .. look at and let it bear in upon your soul.  But it’s important to remember that these horrors tell you important things about all human nature.  So they are far away from us  and close at the same time.  Like the ‘mindless killers’ tag in Northern Ireland.  No – not mindless killers.  People like us who, in the context in which they found themselves, lost their moral rootedness.

We’re off tomorrow morning to Krakow.  I can’t say I’m looking forward to the visit to Auschwitz but it is obligatory.

It’s been busy these last few days.  I went visiting facilities for the homeless in Perth with CATH.  It was one of those moments when I saw people doing a job which I simply could not do.  Not enough patience or resilience these days.

And on to the Institution of Kimberly in St Mary’s, Dunblane.  It was one of those good moments – to see a priest with great potential beginnning a ministry in a congregation of great potential.  Kelvin preached a warm sermon beautifully expressed – about encounter.  And people felt that a new and exciting chapter had begun.

Today has seen the launch of Casting the Net in all of our churches across the diocese.  It’s taken a while to get here and we are working hard to keep up with expectations.  But it was a good moment.  I was in St Mary’s, Birnam.  We had nets and fish and fish-shaped cakes and there were children and there is hope.

Martin Ritchie comments and ponders a parallel between ministry and the ‘here today gone tomorrow’ of theatre.  And of course there are many parallels between the church and theatre – as there also are with politics.  In my time as a trainer of Curates, I used to suggest to them that they should learn to leave footprints behind them – to act in a situation so that somehow or other it was clear that they had been there.

I suppose that in ministry it’s a bit of both.  If you are the person who conducts the wedding or the funeral or who comes into the hospital in a moment of crisis, you are unlikely to be forgotten – for better or worse.  For the rest, I think clergy tend to operate on the basis of ‘one sows and another reaps’ – sadly in both the negative and positive measurements.  William Barclay said that we stand on the shoulders of our parents.  When I moved from Northern Ireland, I went through a period of feeling that I should have done more.   I celebrate today an e mail from my successor who has got to the finishing line with a building project which I planned with the parish but couldn’t get built.  Thank God for our successors!

It’s been a fascinating week here with the American bishops in their training in North Carolina. Good for content and good in developing relationships.  I’ll be home tomorrow.

I’ve probably spent more time than many clergy talking to a microphone. So I tend to be a bit ‘iffy’ about media training. But what we had yesterday from Auburn Media was just outstanding. Tough and tender. I learnt a lot.

Beautiful sunshine today – seen through the windows.

Meanwhile it was a day on ‘Overcoming Organisational Defences’ and an exploration of how we deal with conflict. Tomorrow a full day of high quality media training.

And of course, the continuing need for simultaneous translation ..

Hot Button Issues – self-evident

Push Back – as in ‘I’ll give you a bit of push back on that’ – meaning ‘some space to adjust so that you feel more comfortable

Take-away – what I learned from this

I’ve always loved the American language. I used to be on the e mail network of the Bay Area Tandem Club – so that I could follow in spirit at least their expeditions to Sonoma and Sausalito. Their Sunday morning run – for which I was unavailable – was always a ‘Show and Go’

And then of course the networking .. which is unsurpassed.

It’s freezing cold here. But then they say that we are about 3000 feet up – wherever we are.

I’m here in North Carolina at what they call the Residency for the College of Bishops of The Episcopal Church. That means all the bishops elected during the last three years. This week is the center of the program – each of us has a ‘coaching bishop’ with whom we have a commitment to work throughout the year. In my case, that is a Skype-driven relationship with Bishop Philip Duncan of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.

So why do this? Two reasons .. the training is excellent. And it’s a chance to build relationships with bishops in The Episcopal Church at a critical and fascinating time. I’m enjoying it.

It’s seven years since I have been to the US – a bit busy and a bit Bush-averse.  So it’s good to be back in the Land of the Free which is, of course, one of the most compliant nations on earth.  ‘Stand in line’ and they rush to queue up.  Offered 14 levels of Frequent Flyer status and they line up like children waiting for a star from teacher.  My aspiration is that one day I shall  board a plane using the Breezeway.

One thing has changed since I was here last.  The cellphone is king.  Lone travellers talk constantly to Momma back home.  And they start talking as the wheels hit the runway.  All Blackberries – because this is O’Bamaland and he’s Coach.

Meanwhile – a glossary of terms:

Gatehouse [as in Gatehouse of Fleet] – area round the Departure Gate

Approach the Podium – go to the Desk to engage in energetic discussion about seat allocation.  Whatever happened to the quaint idea that one just elbows one’s way on and takes a seat?

Deplane – self-evident

Best of all – but I hardly believe I heard this.  After four flights, I arrived in a tiny plane at Ashville, North Carolina.  The carry on bags were too big – did I hear them referred to as ‘ballet bags’ which we could pick up as we deplaned.

So onward with America TV – offering me Gloria Copland’s ‘Believer’s Voice of Victory’ where ‘The future is stored up in YOUR  heart’

All a bit hectic here – what with trying to get ourselves deployed for the launch of our Casting the Net Programme.  Clergy are taking avoiding action when hit by salvoes of e mails and mailings – 20 interesting things to do with a net in worship, etc.

But I suppose it’s better than just sitting and worrying about the Pension Fund.

It also seemed like a good moment for me to go off on a training course for a week – give everybody a break.  I’m doing the training programme for bishops in The Episcopal Church of the US of A.  I hope to get there approximately on Sunday via Amsterdam, Detroit and Atlanta.